SitcomsOnline Digest: Must See TV on NBC Officially Dead; Enlisted and Back in the Game on MOD DVD

Saturday, December 13, 2014

SitcomsOnline Digest: Must See TV on NBC Officially Dead; Enlisted and Back in the Game on MOD DVD

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! Things are settling down in the world of sitcom news as we are approaching Christmas, but we're here with news of the (official) death of Must See TV, David Letterman's exit from The Late Show, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

NBC's Thursday night lineup has been a haven for sitcoms for the past 34 years, and most (if not all) of NBC's successful and memorable sitcoms since 1980 have aired as part of that lineup for most of their run. Now, it is completely dead, as NBC has turned Thursday night into drama night. (Complex)
Zap2It has ranked NBC's "Must See TV" sitcoms from best to worst, with Seinfeld making it to the top and Coupling making it to the bottom at #62. (Zap2it)
May 20 will be David Letterman's last night on The Late Show. No word yet on when Stephen Colbert will take over. (Washington Post)
Murder, She Wrote will debut on one of the broadcast retro networks for the first time ever on COZI TV in January. (SitcomsOnline)
MeTV is also looking ahead to a new lineup beginning January 1. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

CBS will be releasing Petticoat Junction - Family Favorites on March 10, and while we don't know the exact content of this eight episode disc, it will likely consist of episodes from the seasons of the series that have been released so far.
Enlisted didn't last long on Fox, but it can last a lot longer on your DVD shelf, as Fox has released Enlisted - The Complete Series as a MOD release.
Another short-lived series is also available as a MOD release from Fox: 2013's Back in the Game, with Back in the Game - The Complete Series.

DECEMBER 16 HOME MEDIA RELEASES

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00NALHK5E/ref=nosim/happydaysonline5-20

Batman - The Complete Series (Blu-ray, $239.99): If this release sounds familiar, that is because technically it is already out on Blu-ray, but now Warner Home Video is bringing fans a lower priced version without the extras.
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis - The Final Season (DVD, $29.93): While the complete series was released long ago, Shout! now finishes up the individual season releases.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Todd Bridges (Twitter) "Todd Bridges\ actor / Director /stand up comic"

Claim to Fame: As we continue on our child stars from the past theme again this week, we have a child star from the series that really did give child stars a bad name: Diff'rent Strokes. Looking at the child stars from that series, Dana Plato was in trouble for armed robbery and dealt with drug abuse issues, Gary Coleman had a nasty financial battle with his parents, and Todd Bridges dealt with drug abuse and was even charged with the attempted murder of a drug dealer. Unfortunately, Plato and Coleman are no longer living, but Bridges is, and unlike the other two, he has managed to turn his life into something much more positive over the past two decades, and carrying a very positive and upbeat attitude towards life. Most recently, he had a recurring role on Everybody Hates Chris, as well as appearing in several reality shows. Among one of my personal favorite appearances of Bridges is his appearance in the video for The Black Keys song "Howlin' for You." As many of his fellow cast members have died since the series (in addition to the kids mentioned, Conrad Bain, Dixie Carter, Nedra Volz, and even Mary Ann Mobley), he seems to be among the few who will live the longest to remind us of the series.

Pick of the Tweets: "today me and my son are going to have a great time. I really love being a father." (November 26, 2013)

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Wednesday, September 28

The Conners - "Scenes From Two Marriages: The Parrot Doth Protest Too Much" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Jackie moves in with Neville and discovers that being newlyweds produces new problems when Neville shows up to their home with an excess of animals from his vet office. Meanwhile, Darlene and Ben have an argument as Ben points out Darlene is turning into her father.

The Golbergs - "That's a Schwartz Man" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
With both sides of the family eager for answers on Geoff and Erica’s pregnancy, they decide to keep their baby’s sex a surprise. However, a sonagram finding from Lou Schwartz might provide an unexpected discovery. Meanwhile, Adam recruits Glascott to help his mother cope with his departure for NYU; but when he later has a change of heart about heading off to college, he sources a job as the personal assistant to a special celebrity to help lessen the blow when news of his deferred enrollment is delivered to Beverly.

Abbott Elementary - "Wrong Delivery" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
After Janine gets a look at the new charter school down the street, she becomes determined to fix up Abbott and make it just as good. As Gregory goes out of his way to avoid Barbara due to an awkward situation with his personal life, and Ava takes to the school library to host a “Shark Tank”-style pitch to decide what to do with the rest of the funds from the grant.

Home Economics - "Melatonin 10 Mg Tablets, $14.99" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Tom begins publicity for his new book as Marina takes on the redesign of Gretchen’s room, which causes a lot of stress at home and in the bedroom. Meanwhile, Sarah, Denise and the kids have to crash at Connor’s house when their apartment floods, much to Lupe’s chagrin.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 26)

Wednesday, September 28

Mila Kunis (Family Guy/That '70s Show) - Watch Mila on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC. She talks about Luckiest Girl Alive on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
Ramy Youssef (Ramy/See Dad Run) - Ramy appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Timothy Olyphant (Santa Clarita Diet) - Timothy is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Max Greenfield (The Neighborhood/New Girl/Modern Men) - Max will be on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Mayim Bialik (Call Me Kat/The Big Bang Theory/Blossom) - Mayim is a guest on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Rosie O'Donnell (SMILF/Stand By Your Man/Gimme a Break!) - Rosie appears on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Tyler James Williams (Abbott Elementary/Go On/Everybody Hates Chris) - Tyler is a guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Kim Coles (Living Single/The Geena Davis Show) - Kim talks about her new series Finding Happy on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
George Clooney (Roseanne/The Facts of Life/ E/R (1984-1985) - George and Amal Clooney are guests on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Sherri Shepherd (Mr. Iglesias/Trial & Error/Sherri/Less Than Perfect) - Sherri appears on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Vanessa Lachey (Truth Be Told/Dads) - Vanessa is a guest on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Jaime Camil (Schmigadoon!/Broke) - Jaime talks about Netflix's El Rey: Vicente Fernandez on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Lio Tipton (Manhattan Love Story) - Lio appears on PIX 11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.